


You can't tell in hell

by givebackmylifecas



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Episode: s13e09 The Bad Place, Eventual Fluff, Happy Ending, Hurt Castiel, Hurt/Comfort, I make everything better, I swear, Implied/Referenced Torture, M/M, Post-Episode: s13e09 The Bad Place, Reunion, Season/Series 13, Season/Series 13 Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-12
Updated: 2017-12-12
Packaged: 2019-02-13 17:40:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12989127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/givebackmylifecas/pseuds/givebackmylifecas
Summary: Post S13E09 - The Bad Place: Castiel is still trapped in Hell with Lucifer. When Sam and Dean are accidentally sent to the alternate universe by Jack, Cas' connection to Dean is severed, leading him to believe Dean is dead.Meanwhile, Dean manages to escape the other world and has only one thing on his mind: saving Cas!





	You can't tell in hell

**Author's Note:**

> This is not what will happen on the show, but a girl can hope.  
> Also, trigger warnings for implied/referenced torture and Cas believing Dean is dead (but he isn't really)

Castiel is pacing the length of his cell for the 5926th time that day when it happens. One minute he is trapped in Hell, but still connected to Dean, feeling everything he feels, and the next there is nothing.

The change is so sudden that it actually winds him. All the air rushes out of him in one breath, because he can no longer feel Dean’s longing, can no longer feel the soft thrum of love and affection that is constantly emanating from Dean through their bond and into Castiel. Where there once was warmth, somewhere in the centre of his ribcage, there is now a gaping, empty space.

It can mean only one thing: Dean must be dead.

And Castiel can’t take it. His legs give out beneath him and he sinks to his knees with a scream that reverberates through his chest before clawing its way up his throat.

Every night since he had been taken to Hell, the demons had cut him with angel blades and burned him with holy oil and not once had he made a sound. But this? This is worse than any physical pain they could inflict on him. Dean is gone and nothing else matters anymore.

 

In all the years since he had taken this vessel, Castiel had never shed a tear – he wasn’t sure he could. Now he has his answer, the tear spill down his face unbridled and he loses himself in his grief.

Hours pass this way, with Castiel imagining all the ways his hunter might have died, and each scenario breaking his heart anew.

Eventually, his body seems to have run out of tears and he just sits on the floor staring at the wall, numb and empty.

“Hey, are you finished?”, he hears Lucifer ask him from the cell next door. Castiel ignores him.

“Oi, bleeding heart? What’s wrong with you? Did you get your zipper stuck on your dick, cause I really don’t think that’s a good enough reason to whine like that.”, Lucifer continues.

“Shut up!”, Castiel growls.

“Ooh touchy. Come on, Cassie, I’m your big bro. You can tell me anything. What’s got your panties all in a twist?”, Lucifer wheedles and Castiel sighs, running a hand over his tearstained face.

“It’s… Dean.”, he can’t bring himself to say anymore.

“What about your hunter? Is this because he got himself sent to an alternate dimension? Because I gotta say, I’m very impressed he managed that, it’s some trick. Then again, it wasn’t really him, was it? No, my boy really is as talented as his daddy.”, Lucifer wants to say more, but Castiel is suddenly on his feet, pressing towards the wall separating him from the Devil.

“Dean’s in an alternate dimension? I thought…”

Lucifer laughs and Castiel wants to punch him. “Oh, you thought Deanie was dead? Wow, dad really fucked up when he made you if you couldn’t even feel the great big fucking hole Jack ripped in reality.”

“Shut up, Lucifer! Are you sure he’s alive?”, Castiel asks desperately.

He can almost hear Lucifer’s eye roll. “Yes, Cassie. My grace may be depleted but I’m still an archangel. I can feel your little loverboy and his moose of a brother. They’re in some other world, but they’re both alive.”

Castiel slides down the wall, his legs giving up on him for the second time that day, although this time from relief. Despite how relieved he feels at knowing Dean is alive, a new fear grips him. What world have Sam and Dean landed in? How will they survive?

“You know Cassie, if you try using your senses properly, you should be able to feel them return in a couple hours. Jack’s already back.”, Lucifer says sounding bored.

Castiel frowns. “What are you talking about, Lucifer?”

The devil laughs again and Cas clenches his fist, imagining it connecting with his face. “What I’m talking about, Cassie, is the fact that my son is so powerful he has managed to not only open a portal and get himself back to our world, but he’s currently also working on getting your boys back.” He takes a loud breath, as if he can feel the power radiating off Jack – then again, Cas thinks, he probably can. “Can’t you feel it, Cassie? He’s taking the wall between our universe and theirs apart, piece by piece.”

Castiel concentrates with all his might, and realises Lucifer is right. Something is tugging at the fabric of the universe. It was looking for something, and now that it has found it, it is ripping, tearing and reaching.

The tugging gets stronger and suddenly vanishes, but the feeling is replaced with emotions that are not his own, suddenly rushing towards Cas.

“Dean!”, he breathes. Everything suddenly seems righted and Castiel can’t help but smile.

“Yeah, great your toyboy is back, but you and I are still stuck here, you moron!”, Lucifer gripes and Castiel glares at the wall separating them.

“Well why don’t you do something about it. If you can sense Jack and everyone else then, surely Jack will be able to sense you? Tell them where we are!”

“You think it’s that easy, Cassie? Hello, I’m the devil? Your boys would never believe Jack, if he told them I was sending him a message with your whereabouts.”, Lucifer sighs. Cas is quiet for a moment, because unfortunately, he is right. Sam and Dean won’t trust Lucifer’s word, not after all that has happened between them.

“You’re right. But they will believe you if you can prove I’m giving them a message through you.”, Cas says.

“And how am I going to prove that?”, Lucifer asks and Cas lets a small smile creep onto his face.

“Here’s what you’ll say:”

 

* * *

 

 

The other world was worse than hell. Sam and Dean had to constantly stay on the move to avoid the gargantuan creatures that ruled that planet. Thankfully, time seemed to move slower there and they were only trapped for a few hours before a yellow line of light appeared in front of them and they went sprinting through it and straight into the bunker’s kitchen. In front of them, a smug looking Jack and an exhausted Kaia were waiting.

“What the hell?”, Dean asked and Jack lost the smug smile.

“I’m sorry. I don’t know what happened, we all ended up in different worlds, but I managed to get out of the one I was in and was immediately drawn to Kaia. Then we came back here and she helped me get to you. She is very powerful.”, Jack says matter-of-factly and Dean nearly collapses at how unbothered the boy seems by the fact that he just opened at least 3 doors to alternate universe in a day, not to mention nearly getting them all killed.

He’s about to give Jack a good reaming for doing something so reckless when the boy’s eyes suddenly start to glow that creepy yellow that reminds Dean too much of Azazel.

He and Sam exchange a look of confusion, but Jack’s eyes have already returned to normal again.

“I have just received a message from my father.”, Jack states and Dean’s heart leaps.

“Cas?”, he asks – a little too desperately if Sam’s smirk is anything to go by.

Jack shakes his head. “No, from Lucifer, but he says he is with Castiel.”

“What? That’s not possible, Lucifer is in apocalypse-world with our mom.”, Sam says and Dean nods in agreement, but Jack shakes his head again.

“He says he has returned, but weakened. He found Castiel accidentally and they were both captured by Asmodeus. They are being held prisoner in Hell.”, Jack explains

“Bullshit.”, Dean says. “That son of a bitch is just trying to get us to jailbreak him. Cas isn’t with him.”

Jack frowns. “He said you would say that and that Castiel said to tell you ‘I am trapped in the amber of the moment. You know why.’ But I don’t know what that means.”

Sam turns to look at him and Dean scowls at him.

“Yeah, that’s Cas.”, Dean says.

“Sure?”, Sam asks and Dean gives a jerky nod. “Alright then, let’s go break an angel out of hell.”

 

* * *

  

It’s been three day since Lucifer contacted Jack, with no reply. Castiel begged him – in between his nightly torture sessions – to try again, but his brother insisted that sending the message had depleted his grace too much to make another attempt.

So Castiel hopes. He spends his nights gritting his teeth against the burn and sting of whatever weapon the foul demons decide to test on him and his days slowly healing.

On the fifth day, around noon, Castiel hears footsteps. It is too early for them to be coming for him, but then again, he was never promised a schedule for his pain.

He tries to mentally prepare himself for whatever they want to do with him. He closes his eyes and hears hinges squeal as his door is opened. When he opens his eyes, he almost jumps back in shock, because instead of a demonic black, his gaze is met with warm green.

“Hey buddy.”, Dean says and Cas leaps at him, wrapping his arms around his hunter.

“Dean! You came! I wasn’t sure you would, what with Lucifer sending the message…”, he mumbles into Dean’s neck and he feels the hunter laugh, deep in his chest.

“Yeah well, you found a way around that, didn’t you, Cas? Honestly, Vonnegut? And you didn't even get it right!”, Dean smiles and Cas snuffles a half laugh.

“Um, guys? I hate to break up the reunion, but we really need to get going!” Sam suddenly appears in the doorway to Cas’ cell and Dean nods, handing Cas an angel blade.

“We may need to fight our way out, depending on how well the kid can fend off those black-eyed bastards.”, Dean says and Castiel frowns as he follows him into the hallway.

“You brought Jack?”, he asks disapprovingly.

“C’mon Cas, you really thought we managed to get in here without him?”, Dean says, rolling his eyes.

Cas is about to answer, when he hears Lucifer calling him: “Hey Cassie, don’t you think you’re forgetting something?”

Cas turns to see Lucifer still in his cell. Dean rounds on him. “Actually no, we came here to get Cas, not you.”

Lucifer’s face darkens. “You’re making a mistake, Winchester. You should know better than to cross me.”

Dean glares right back. “And you should know better than to kill my boyfriend. Come on Cas, let’s get out of here.” He nudges Cas down the corridor and they follow Sam, ignoring Lucifer’s shouted threats.

At the top of the stairs, Jack is waiting. His eyes are glowing and he’s surrounded by unconscious demons.

He gives Castiel an excited smile and joins them as they make their way through the twisting corridors, which are all littered with comatose demons. They reach a huge, gold sigil which is burned into the floor at the end of one of the hallways and once they’re all standing on it Jack claps his hands, there’s a pulse of energy and they’re back in the bunker’s library, standing on an identical sigil.

As soon as they all step off it, the gold symbol dissolves.

“What was that?”, Castiel asks.

“Nephilim powered teleportation spell.”, Sam explains and Deans shrugs, when Cas throws him a questioning look.

“We needed a quick way in and out.”, he says as an explanation and Castiel nods, giving Jack a grateful smile.

“Thank you for that Jack, I don’t know how much longer I could have stayed there.”, Cas says and Jack smiles proudly. He seems to want to start talking, but he is interrupted.

“Hey, Jack. Why don’t we go get you some food? You must be starving after all that.”, Sam says, steering Jack towards the kitchen, throwing Dean a smirk over his shoulder.

“Yes, I do believe I am craving some of the mac and cheese we had earlier.”, Jack says seriously.

Once they’ve disappeared, Castiel lets himself fall onto the sofa opposite their recently acquired TV. Dean settles in next to him, taking Cas’ hand in his own.

“Sorry I didn’t get to you sooner.”, Dean says at the same time as Castiel says: “I thought you were dead.”

“Wait, what?”, Dean asks, moving to look at Cas properly. “Why did you think I was dead?”

Cas hangs his head, feeling foolish for having mentioned it. “When you were in the other dimension… Our connection was gone. I couldn’t feel you anymore and I thought…”

“You thought I was dead.”, Dean finishes for him. Cas nods and lets himself be pulled into a gentle hug. When Dean starts running his hands up and down his sides, Cas hisses and pulls away. Apparently the holy-oil induced burns hadn’t healed quite as well as he hoped.

“Cas, what was that?”, Dean asks and Cas shrugs.

“It’s nothing, honestly. You know demons, they like to be entertained.”

Dean’s face darkens and he grabs Cas’ shirt and yanks it up. Admittedly, the burns look a lot worse than they feel, but Cas doesn’t object when Dean pulls him in for a kiss, fingers laced in the angel’s dark hair.

“I’m so sorry sweetheart.”, Dean whispers against Cas’ lips. “I should have known, I should have come for you earlier.”

Cas shakes his head. “You came as soon as you could. I don’t hold any of this against you, Dean.”

Dean smiles. “I know you don’t. Doesn’t mean I don’t feel guilty though.”

Instead of answering, Cas just kisses him again. He learned long ago, that you can’t argue with Dean’s guilt.

They trade soft kisses, until eventually Dean is yawning more than kissing and Cas forces him to move to bed – to sleep that is.

Cas supresses his grace just enough and he falls asleep in his hunter’s arms, just enjoying the sensation of being surrounded by Dean.

**Author's Note:**

> You guys know the drill, tell me if this didn't make you want to cut your eyes out (or even if it did) with Comments or Kudos, or say hi on tumblr (@hefellfordean)


End file.
